Contexts Of Worlds Of Upheaval In Frankenstein, Doctor Faustus, Waiting For Godot And Death Of A Salesman

Texts in the context of Worlds of Upheaval challenge social and political concerns through representing differences and contrasts of their created worlds. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1823) emerged from the peak of Romantic literature and the age of enlightenment, Shelley had merged both Romantic and Gothic genres to create a unique atmosphere in which she was able to criticise the values upheld during the period. This period came with many issues that had not been addressed. Doctor Faustus (1592) a play by Christopher Marlowe was written during the Renaissance, where the increasing hostility towards Christianity and Medieval Scholasticism began moving towards Humanistic ideologies. Samuel Beckett wrote Waiting for Godot (1953) shortly after the conclusion of World War II and transposed society’s absurdist reflections on the existence of God through a tragicomedic play. Death of a Salesman (1949) a play by Arthur Miller scrutinises the capitalist ideologies of consumerism occurring during the period of American dream. These texts, through the representation of opposing ideologies to the status quo, provoke intellectual and emotional responses that oblige us to examine our own humanity.

Shelley’s portrayal of conflicting philosophical ideologies of Enlightenment and Romanticism force us to reflect on the innate human desire to gain more knowledge. The age of Enlightenment came with an evolution of science. Along with the age of Enlightenment, Romanticism a movement of opposing ideologies was at its peak. Romanticism shunned the rapid industrialisation found in the Enlightenment movement. This contention birthed Frankenstein, a commentary on the dangers of science without ethics. The novel presents Victor Frankenstein an arrogant scientist on the search for the secret of life, and in doing so deserts morality and life itself. Shelley adopted elements of Romanticism to contradict the features of Enlightenment scrutinised in Frankenstein. Throughout the novel, Shelley makes her stance on industrialisation known through the integration of Romantic settings and the restoration they bring. An instance where this perspective is shown is when Victor is greatly troubled by the execution of Justine and visualises it as a “weight upon my shoulders”. However, he finds refuge and comfort in the natural world; as the “weight” “sensibly lightened” as he “plunged yet deeper into the ravine.” Victor finds the natural world a solace as he avoids the hustle and bustle of the drama present in the imposing community landscape, as he becomes lost in nature, providing him comfort. Here, Shelley implicates that the Enlightenment is something to flee from not embrace and that one should seek Romanticism. Shelley adds linguistic depth to the novel by using Gothic conventions to underline the unknown, mysterious and macabre progression of science. Shelley combines the Romantic and Gothic in Frankenstein’s encounter with the lightning and the oak tree. During a “storm” Victor watched with “curiosity and delight” as he “beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak” then “the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained of the blasted stump”. The sublime element of nature paired with the woeful weather create a displeasing atmosphere, unsettling the reader. Furthermore, Shelley also foreshadows Frankenstein’s demise in the symbolic metaphor of the lightning. The awesome and beautiful image of lightening instantaneously transforms into a frightening, unsettling warning. Hence, the age of Enlightenment is condemned and the idea that what appears to be enticing can lead to catastrophic outcomes is reinforced. Shelley’s Frankenstein acts as a warning to the possible harm that the searching for knowledge can entail.

Marlowe coerces readers to question the presence of free will through the representation of the generation’s conflicting ideologies of predestination and self-determination. Doctor Faustus was written during the 16th century, known for the Renaissance and the Reformation. The Renaissance introduced humanism, the philosophy that prioritised the best interests of humanity rather than the submitting to a supernatural entity. While the reformation had observed the changing theology from the Catholic method of salvation by works, to the Protestant method of salvation by grace. The reformation led to a theory of salvation called predestination, that stated that every human beings’ fate had been decided from before conception. Marlowe’s acceptance of humanism provided an objective censure on the conflict between fate and free will. Doctor Faustus explored these doctrines through the title character, a prideful scholar who has reached the limits of knowledge and in order to gain more, sells his soul to the devil. The conflict between fate and free will is established from Act 1 Scene 1 as Faustus chooses to sell his soul to Mephistopheles one of Lucifer’s minions, denying a chance for his salvation, hence demonstrating the concept of free will. However, by the denouement, Marlowe exhibits the converse idea of fate as Faustus converses with the Bad Angel. Faustus tells the Bad angel that “God will pity me, If I repent”, however the Bad Angel tells Faustus that he “shall never repent”, Faustus then agrees saying that his “heart is hardened” and that he “cannot repent”. Hence, showing the theory of predestination and the dichotomy between the two ideas. Marlowe’s construction of the play obliges readers to make an impartial assessment between destiny and choice.

The innate craving to decipher the meaning of life and ponder the existence of God is criticised by Beckett’s enactment of absurdist doctrines in Waiting for Godot. Absurdism is the belief that a search for meaning is meaningless, however one should accept a meaningless life by taking advantage of the opportunities life offers. The post-war WWII Parisians embraced this school of thought after doubting the existence of God subsequent to dwelling among a war-torn country littered with death and brutal suffering. Beckett chose to visualise these thoughts through a tragicomedy play detailing the arduous wait for a man called Godot who never comes. The play is split into two acts in which the action is circular and the structure, parallel. Vladimir and Estragon are the two protagonists, the moments they share are often repetitive and mundane. The mundane nature of the relationship is amusing and is the source of most of the humour. The dialogue between the two are quick, brief and imbecilic. For instance, early in the play Estragon quips “it might be better to strike the iron before it freezes,” subverting the familiar saying, “Strike the iron while it’s hot” hence adding a comical twist. Beckett utilises the structure and flat dialogue to epitomise the key ideas of the Absurd. The circular structure represents the futility of life, and the trivial dialogue reflect our subconscious hunt to find distraction in a meaningless life. Throughout the play, Beckett uses religion as a prominent motif as shown through the abundance of allusions towards Christianity, the primary religion of the era. The play is set upon the top of a hill, acting as a metaphor for being close to heaven, defining the play as a religious parable. Beckett characterises God through the being of Godot. He is spoken of and addressed and speaks through a messenger known as Boy. However, Godot never physically appears in the play, creating a disconnect and contradiction in his character, as he is omniscient but never present. This absence of God, is a direct connection to society’s God and his apparent idleness, indicated through a lack of intervention during war. Through Waiting for Godot, Beckett validates the absurdist philosophies that emerged after WWII, and simultaneously causes present day readers to contemplate the existence of a higher being.

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (1949) denounces the concept of capitalism and the American Dream through painting a critical portrait of American Society. The American Dream is the idea that financial prosperity is available to anyone who labours hard enough. Written during the technological advancement after World War II, the American public was plastered with advertisements that instigated the belief that they could “have it all” leading to fatal consumerism. Miller opposes the false optimism generated by capitalism by delineating the struggle of traveling salesman, Willy Loman and his failed dreams through elements of the ‘theatre of the absurd’. From the plays opening scene, Miller immediately asserts conflict by a paradox between aural and visual. With a flute playing, “telling of grass and trees and the horizon” starkly contrasted to the visual of “towering angular shapes” and “solid vault of apartment houses” surrounding his home, illustrating the idea that he is trapped in the imposed capitalist cityscape. Miller expresses his concerns that America has become engrossed by consumerism, ignoring the wistful freedom that the world offers outside of the materialistic. As Willy’s character arc develops, he plunges deeper into his obsession with the American Dream, damaging his relationship with his sons and allowing his failure to achieve success define him. It is this tunnel vision of success and lack of development that leads him to suicide hence representing the death of the American Dream. At its core, Miller’s Death of a salesman explores humanity’s greed and rejection of other aspects of life in order to attain success.